by  Emanuela Fontana   Papaya, Carica papaya L., is a large perennial plant with rapid growth. It is an important fruit for Malaysian economy after durian and banana. The most popular cultivar in the local and export market is “Eksotika II”, however postharvest pathogens cause significant losses.    Anthracnose by Colletotrichum gloeosporioidesContinue Reading

by R. Rajaram   A group of 1,000 banana farmers across the State have joined hands and floated a company with objectives of improving revenue, preventing post-harvest losses and identifying organised markets to dispatch their produce at a competitive price.   Christened Tamil Nadu Banana Producer Company Limited, the incorporatedContinue Reading

by Ashraf Uddin Sijel, Mymensingh Unscrupulous farmers in Mymensingh’s Fulbari upazila are treating Ashwini pineapples with chemicals particularly ethopen, which are harmful for human health. According to the district agriculture extension office, the juicy fruits have been grown on around 1300 hectares of land.   Farmers said they could not make profitsContinue Reading

The banana wilt disease caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporium cubense (Foc) Tropical race 4, is a major problem for growers in mainly Asian countries. The disease, which affects mainly the Cavendish variety, was first observed in Taiwan in the 60’s, before spreading to farms in Indonesia, Malaysia, North Australia,Continue Reading

The International Tropical Fruits Network (TFNet) was invited to participate in the 70th Session of Committee on Commodity Problems (CCP) in the Food and Agriculture Organization headquarters in Rome, Italy on 7-9 October 2014.   The CCP aims to review the issues affecting production, trade, distribution, and consumption of internationalContinue Reading

In the current agricultural scenario, there are more opportunities for tropical fruits to compete in markets that have traditionally been for temperate fruits. However, participation from tropical fruit growers are somewhat restricted by the difficulties faced in complying with international regulations and consumer trends, besides ensuring consistent supplies, logistical constraintsContinue Reading

Representatives from Taiwan and the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) have met in order to speed up the establishment of phytosanitary protocols for trade of various exotic fruits both ways between the two countries.   Taiwan is hoping to export fresh litchis to Colombia, while the South American country would like marketContinue Reading